| Housewives -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Rabbits -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Characters in literature -- Fiction. |
| Characters and characteristics in literature -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Diaries -- Juvenile fiction. |
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Audience | Shelf Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids/Juvenile | Picture books | Book | E BACHELET | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A hilarious twist on a classic tale
Alice in Wonderland is one of the great classics of children's literature, but what does anyone actually know about Wonderland? Through the diary of the White Rabbit's extremely busy wife, readers finally get to see what happens in the background during Alice's adventures.
Mrs. White Rabbit loves her husband and their many children, but with an invisible housecat from Cheshire and a young female visitor who frequently changes size, living in Wonderland comes with a number of challenges.
With an abundance of wit and charm, Mrs. White Rabbit gives Lewis Carroll's famous tale a refreshingly modern twist.
Author Notes
Gilles Bachelet was born in northern France. He has been creating picture books since 2002 and currently works as a freelance illustrator in Paris. His previous books include My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World and When the Silliest Cat Was Small (both Abrams). Gilles was inspired to write Mrs. White Rabbit after forgetting his girlfriend's birthday.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
When Lewis Carroll's White Rabbit is busy racing around Wonderland, he leaves behind a harried wife and several demanding kids-at least according to Bachelet's diary-style portrait of a not-so-happy family. Mrs. Rabbit doesn't hold back in describing her frustrations with her husband's obliviousness and frequent absences ("Sometimes I dream about how sweet it would be to share some simple, happy moments together") or her concerns about her children: Beatrix, an aspiring supermodel, "spends all her time on the scale and refuses to swallow a single bite," while twins Gilbert and George are shown shooting marbles with their own pellets. Bachelet (My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World) stuffs the pages with Easter eggs for Alice fans to enjoy: the Caterpillar smokes his hookah outdoors in a street scene (his wife, in curlers, glares at him from an upstairs window), Alice herself pops up occasionally, and playing cards and dodos are everywhere. Bachelet's careful, detailed artwork delights (a spread of 100 carrot-themed dishes is a showstopper) but this is among the gloomiest marriages to grace the pages of a picture book in some time. Ages 6-10. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Did you think it was all playing cards and croquet in Alice's Wonderland? Mrs. White Rabbit confides the other side of the story to her diary, and she has a lot to put up with. Not only does her cottontail husband have to work late at the palace but she has to deal with a large family, a transparent cat, and a strange girl visitor with an unpleasant tendency to change size. The book's large format allows Bachelet's exuberantly imagined illustrations plenty of room for clever details and sly jokes that play out for a wide range of age levels. Readers will find a visual treat to linger over, with an abundance of Alice references, and though some are obscure, many need only basic familiarity with the Carroll classics to grasp. It is impossible not to gasp at several page turns that reveal richly hued, extravagantly detailed double-page spreads. A standout from a cookbook titled 100 Ways to Cook Carrots is so intricate it almost requires a magnifying glass and it's also strangely sad, as Mrs. White's daughter, desperate to lose weight, won't eat. This affectionate twist will intrigue Carroll fans and perhaps create new ones.--Rutan, Lynn Copyright 2017 Booklist